Incident Response and Reporting Procedure

Purpose. This procedure tells staff what to do from the moment an incident begins until the report, debrief and review are complete.

1.Incident categories

Incidents are classified on the Incident and Use of Force Register so the right response and reporting follow. Category 1 incidents threaten life or the security of the centre and will be reported to the General Manager and the contract manager immediately. Category 2 incidents involve injury, use of force or contraband and will be reported within two hours. Category 3 incidents are minor breaches and will be reported before end of shift.

• Category 1: death, escape, riot, hostage, serious assault, fire
• Category 2: assault, use of force, self-harm, contraband find, medical emergency
• Category 3: minor disciplinary breach, minor property damage, verbal abuse

2.Immediate response

The first officer on scene must call the incident on the radio using the agreed code, state the location and nature, and request assistance. Officers must not enter a cell or confined area alone to deal with a violent or at-risk person unless there is an immediate threat to life. The Senior Officer will take control, direct responding staff and decide whether to activate the emergency response team.

3.Containment and control

Responding officers will contain the incident to the smallest area possible, move uninvolved prisoners away and secure doors and gates behind them. Force will only be used in line with the Use of Force Policy. The central monitoring station must track the incident on camera and log every radio call with the time.

4.Medical and welfare

Any injured person must be assessed by the visiting health provider or first aid officer as soon as the scene is safe. Ambulance will be called for any injury beyond first aid. A person who has self-harmed must be placed on observations and referred to the Risk Assessment and Intervention Team the same day.

5.Evidence and scene

The Senior Officer must preserve the scene until the Security and Intelligence Manager releases it. Contraband, weapons and property must be bagged, labelled and recorded in the Contraband and Property Register. CCTV and body-worn footage must be tagged for retention within the shift.

6.Reporting

Every officer involved must complete an Incident Report Form before leaving the centre. The Senior Officer will create the register entry, attach the reports and notify the managers listed for the category. Reports must be factual, first person and in chronological order, and must not contain opinion about other officers' actions.

7.Debrief and review

A hot debrief will be held within one hour of the incident ending. A structured debrief will be held within five working days for Category 1 and 2 incidents, chaired by the Security and Intelligence Manager, and the outcomes recorded against the register entry. Lessons learned will be tabled at the next WHS committee meeting.